Archives West Finding Aid

Robert Moran was born in New York City on January 26, 1857. He came to Seattle in 1875, and as a mechanical engineer, engaged in shipbuilding and marine engineering. With his brothers Frank and Sherman, he established Moran Bros. Marine and Sawmill Machinery Co. in 1882, which later became Moran Bros. Co. (ship and engine builders) in 1890. In 1898, the firm built -- in the record time of only four months -- a fleet of 12 steamers and 10 barges, and delivered them on the Yukon River to carry food to the miners. The firm also built many large steel and wood vessels, including the U.S. battleship NEBRASKA. Moran served as mayor of Seattle from 1888 to 1890, overseeing both the response to the Great Fire and the development of the Cedar River water system. He was active for many years in numerous civic, professional, public, and fraternal organizations. After selling the company in 1906, Moran retired to Rosario, the estate on Orcas Island that he had designed. In 1914, he donated 5,000 acres on Orcas Island to the State of Washington, which became Moran State Park. He died in 1943 at the age of 86.